Chapter Five Stage Directing Rehearsing: Staging, Shaping and Polishing (© Jim Patterson, 2004)

OVERVIEW BLOCKING THE ACTORS INVENTING BUSINESS DEVELOP THE ACTORS BODY LANGUAGE ESTABLISH TEMPO SHAPE THE PRODUCTION POLISH THE PRODUCTION

A PLANNING STRATEGY Devise a production schedule that manages time efficiently Follow these guidelines in devising schedule - Study and conceptualization - Organization - A safety net - One hour rehearsal for every minute of playing time -Spread rehearsals over time

REHEARSAL PROCESS Rehearsal is primarily about the actors Set realistic goals for each rehearsal Divide the rehearsal schedule into thirds - Explore the script (table work) - Memorization and Blocking - Polishing and Technicals Get help...a dedicated assistant is indispensable

STAGE BASICS The actors on the proscenium stage...divide the floor into Upstage/Downstage/Right/Left in a grid SIX basic acting positions - Open - Closed - Half open - Three-quarters open - Three quarters closed - Shared

Taking, Giving, Sharing Take means to open to another actor Give means to close to another actor Share means ¾ or profile Crossing generally requires countering Open (flat) and closed (circle) turns

Prompt Book Shorthand X = = at // = pause S = sofa C = chair T = table W = window Ex = exit Ent = enter

Non-proscenium stages Entrances and exits are often through tunnels or voms US and DS are sometimes faces of a clock In arena, alley and thrust: position actors away from one another so that individuals can be seen

Composing the action Composit ion is the technical aspect of blocking that allows the audience to see what the director believes to be important, like a snapshot or freeze-frame Picturization is the storytelling aspect of blocking and is revealed through movement, like a storyboard, frame by frame Effective staging is influenced by the space, concept size of the audience and the playscript

Blocking Ensure that actors are visible to the audience Blocking should be pointed Expressive Fluid Lively Varied

Elements of composition What character or characters should the audience focus on? Are the characters pleasingly arranged? Is symmetry or asymmetry more important to balance? How is the acting are defined?

8 elements of focus Dominance through body position (dominance) Arrangement of characters in groups (grouping) Space around central characters (space) Visual and actual lines (line) Stage position (area) Height of characters or group (level) Contrast Lighting

Studies in composition Ford Madox Brown (1855) Jesus Washing Peters Feet

Hans Baldung Grein (1512) The Crucifixion

Matthias Gruenwald (1515) The Crucifixion

Jacopo Bassano (1542) The Last Supper

Leonardo da Vinci (1498) The Last Supper

Jan Van Eyck (1434) Arnolfini Wedding Portrait

Leonardo da Vinci (1504) La Joconde

Vincent Van Gogh (1888) The Night Café

Edward Hopper (1942) Night Hawks

Salvador Dali (1931) Persistence of Time

Pieter Bruegel (1565) Hunters in the Snow

Pieter Bruegel (1568) Peasant Wedding

Ford Madox Brown (1860) Work

Edouard Manet (1863) The Luncheon on the Grass

Henri Matisse (1910) The Dance

Pablo Picasso (1905) Family of Saltimbanques

Pablo Picasso (1907) Les Demoiselle d’Avignon

Pablo Picasso (1937) Guernica

Georges Seaurat (1885) Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grand Jatte

Henri de Toulous-Lautrec (1892) At the Moulin Rouge

Vincent Van Gogh (1889) Room at Arles

Ford Madox Brown (1851) Seeds and Fruits of English Poetry

Focus through Lighting

Proscenium Actor-audience relationship 1. Center areas are stronger than R and L 2. Character closest to audience is more emphatic 3. SR is usually more emphatic than SL 4. DS areas are generally stronger than US o Balance 1. Symmetry suggests equilibrium 2. Sometimes asymmetry can be unsettling

Picturing the acting Picturization and composition make up STAGING Some STAGE AREAS are stronger than others BODY LANGUAGE should support dramatic action BUSINESS is what the actor handles MOVEMENT attracts attention

MOVEMENT Different plays have different requirements Director should decide if play should be seen or heard Movement animates play and provides vitality Movement cannot be artificially imposed Movement can be weak or strong Movement can affect perception of LINE

When NOT to Move Don’t cross on another actor’s line unless you want to pull focus away from the speaker Limit a speaking character’s movement while speaking so as not to detract from the line Important lines might not be clearly understood if the actor says them while moving Don’t permit business while another actor is speaking unless you want to direct the audience’s attention to the business

Business & Movement Create Meaning Spatial relationships (proximity carries meaning) Kinds of movement (direction conveys meaning) Business activities (everything a character does has meaning) The “stamp of the director” (DON’T indulge)

Staging and Dramatic Action Communicates director’s understanding of the script Variety is important to movement Dramatic action must propel staging choices Movement should not seem forced or arbitrary Rehearsal allows directors to “work” scenes to get them right

Blocking Functional groundplan is essential Blocking is director-centered (pre-blocking) or collaborative (shared with actors) or actor-centered (time consuming and improvisational) Use the method that gives the best results Beginning directors need to use a combination style Flexibility is the key to success

Patterson’s Blocking Checklist Are actors empowered Are the characters fully revealed Does the staging communicate dramatic action Is it interesting Does it sustain the action Are all areas of the stage used Is there depth in composition and picturization

Shape the Production Master the words Develop tempo and pace Determined by play’s action – Analagous to heartbeat Pace is a variety of tempos to keep audience interest Pace varies from unit to unit Pace should not be arbitrary

Intensifying the Action Actors need to play their wants fully Director must multitask For actor, rehearsal should go from general to specific Actors and objectives Express as an active (transitive) verb Main action is superobjective Additional objectives are discovered in each unit If scene is not working, look at objectives

OBJECTIVES Must be playable Actors cannot play verbs of “being” Actors cannot play the audience’s response (be funny) Lead actors to translate adjectives, adverbs and nouns to “actable verbs”

GIVING NOTES Encourage actors to intensify Give notes to clarify objectives, wants and goals At techs, give acting notes separate from tech notes

Making Choices No right or wrong objectives, only poorly phrased objectives Re-examine choices if something doesn’t work Sometimes progress is slow, sometimes immediate Lead actors away from INDICATING Side-coaching can be helpful in intensifying Polishing rehearsals require a different approach

DISCOVERIES Actor’s DiscoveryDirector’s Discovery ContinuityStorytelling ConnectionsCharacters & relationships ClarityClimaxes Entrances & exitsShape ConfidenceTransitions RelishBusiness

Curtain Calls Tied to tradition and etiquette Clear break between end of play and bows Technical and Dress Rehearsals Allow sufficient time to integrate the physical production with the acting.